Historical experience from previous pandemics, together with knowledge of significant and perpetuating health inequities, led to predictions that Māori and Pacific peoples would experience greater morbidity and be hardest hit economically. Steadfast is the rock describes the mahi (work and actions) of three Māori nurse leaders through the first COVID-19 lockdown in Aotearoa New Zealand in 2020. Through kōrero (discussion and dialogue), this article draws on their experiences of working in a large mainstream primary health entity working across the Northland region of Aotearoa as they navigated their way within and across health sector providers and organisations to protect the health and wellbeing of whānau (families). They used their knowledge of mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge and tradition), to ensure Māori whānau were prioritised in the pandemic response in the region. They faced adversity and resistance in a fragmented system where competition and power interfered with collaborative practices. Throughout, they remained courageous and resilient, holding true to mātauranga Māori as nurses and Māori wāhine (women) to promote equity. Yet much of their work went unnoticed and unacknowledged. Māori nurse leaders hold a necessary role in providing an equityfocused response across mainstream and Māori health providers, through their abilities to maintain relationships, find mutually agreeable strategies, and work collaboratively across the health sector.Keywords / Ngā kupu matua: COVID-19; dialogue / whakawhiti kōrero; Indigenous / Iwi taketake; inequities / ngā korenga e ōrite; Māori; nursing leadership / kaihautū tapuhi; pandemic / mate urutā; primary health care / taurimatanga hauora tuatahi For Māori terms, please see the Nursing Praxis Te Reo Glossary Te Reo Māori translationHe toka tū moana: Ka whakawhiti kōrero ngā kaihautū tapuhi Māori taurima hauora tuatahi mō te āmimai, te ātete, me ā rātou mahi arotahi ki ngā hapori me ngā whānau i te wā o COVID-19 Ngā ariā matuaNā ngā wheako o ngā urutā o tau kē, nā te mātauranga hoki mō ngā korenga e ōrite o ngā āhuatanga hauora nui, e haere tonu nei kāore he mutunga, kua ara ake ngā matapae tērā pea ka kaha ake te mate rawa me te pā nui hoki o ngā raru hauora ki ngā iwi Māori me ngā iwi o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa. Ko tā tēnei puka Steadfast is the rock he whakaahua i ngā mahi me ngā kōkiri a ētahi kaihautū tapuhi Māori i

Globally, Indigenous Peoples experience disparate COVID-19 outcomes. This paper presents case studies from Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and the United States of America and explores aspects of government policies, public health actions, and Indigenous nursing leadership for Indigenous communities during a pandemic. Government under-performance in establishing Indigenous-specific plans and resources, burdened those countries with higher COVID-19 cases and mortality rates. First, availability of quality data is an essential element of any public health strategy, and involves disaggregated, ethnic-specific data on Indigenous COVID-19 cases, mortality rates, and vaccination rates. When data is unavailable, Indigenous Peoples are rendered invisible. Data sovereignty principles must be utilised to ensure that there is Indigenous ownership and protections of these data. Second, out

This article builds on current leadership theories and incorporates mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge systems) and Kaupapa Māori methodology to inform a new model of Indigenous nursing leadership. The development of this model was inspired by one Māori nurse as she navigated her own leadership style that didn’t ‘neatly fit’ within existing theories of leadership. The development of the Whakapapa nursing leadership model recognised her inherent mana and dignity as an Indigenous woman, a nurse, and lesbian; alongside the learned skills, the history, relationships, aspirations, and responsibilities that she negotiated in her role. This model recognises the mauri (essence) of a person, demonstrating that leadership cannot be separated from the whole, that it is dynamic and intrinsically connected through whakapapa (ancestry). The authors propose the weaving together of many strands of leadership; utilising existing mainstream models but with additional strands sourced from mātauranga Māori – mana taurite (pursuing fairness and equity), whakatu tōtika (seeking the best solutions), i te wa tika me te waahi (in the right time and place), whakamana te tāngata (uplifting the dignity of people), ngā piki me ngā heke (embracing the ups and downs), tika, pono, aroha (acting with integrity) and te whānau, te hapū, te iwi (being accountable to the collective). While these strands are not exhaustive, they intertwine with other unique nursing leadership attributes to create a strong and inclusive leadership model. Hence, leadership is like a kete (basket) - each kete is unique, has its own kōrero (story), its own strengths, and weaknesses; and is beautiful in its wholeness. Utilising a Whakapapa nursing leadership approach can enhance outcomes for Māori nurse leaders to be authentically themselves for the betterment of their services, teams, whānau and hapori (communities).

A culturally competent health workforce is critical to achieving equitable health outcomes for Māori people in Aotearoa New Zealand. Fundamental to this goal is the urgent need to not only increase numbers of Māori nurses but to enable them to deliver innovative models of care that are responsive to the unmet need of whānau (family) and hapori (community). This article describes a national initiative to increase the capacity and capability of the Indigenous workforce by supporting kaimahi (unregulated health workers) to become enrolled nurses delivering holistic care within their own communities. A process of co-design was actively led by, with, and for Māori, and included health providers, kaimahi, nurse leaders and programme coordinators. By using Kaupapa Māori principles, historically negative experiences and discourse for Māori nursing were shifted into a strengths-based framework, focusing on self-determination and validating mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge). The key components of the Earn As You Learn model are outlined and align with the narrative of haerenga (journey) in implementing this workforce strategy. This article provides timely knowledge of a promising approach to grow the local Māori nursing workforce by investing in kaimahi to work as enrolled nurses in the communities in which they live, work and play. Te reo Māori translation Mai i te kaimahi ki te tapuhi ā-rārangi: He kōkiri kāhui kaimahi whai painga hei whakapiki i te tokomaha o ngā tapuhi Māori i ngā taurimatanga hauora taketake Ngā Ariā Matua He mea tino nui tētāhi kāhui kaimahi matatau ā-ahurea hei whakatutuki i ētahi putanga hauora ōrite mō ngā tāngata Māori o Aotearoa. Tētahi āhua taketake o tēnei whāinga, kia kaua e aro anake ki te whakapikinga i te tokomaha o ngā tapuhi Māori engari kia whakamanaia rātou ki te hora tauira taurimatanga auaha, e urupare nei ki ngā hiahia, kāore anō kia tutuki, o ngā whānau me te hapori. Ka whakamārama tēnei tuhinga i tētahi kōkiri ā-motu hei whakarahi i te raukaha me ngā pūmanawa o tētahi kāhui kaimahi iwi taketake, mā te tautoko i ngā kaimahi (ngā kaimahi hauora kāore anō kia herea e te ture) kia urutomo hei tapuhi ā-rārangi e hora nei i ngā taurimatanga arowhānui i roto i uru ki roto ko ngā kaiwhakarato hauora, ngā kaimahi, ngā kaihautū tapuhi me ngā whakaruruku hōtaka. Nā tēnei aronga whakamahi mātāpono Kaupapa Māori i kawe kē ngā wheako kino o mua, me ngā kōrero e pā ana ki ngā mahi tapuhi Māori ki tētahi anga i takea mai i ngā kahanga, e arotahi nei ki te rangatiratanga, i whakamana hoki i te mātauranga Māori. E tākina ana ētahi o ngā wae taketake o te tauira Earn As You Learn, ā, e rite ana ki tēnei mea te haerenga o te tangata ki tētahi wāhi hou, i roto i ngā mahi whakatinana i tēnei rautaki rāngai kaimahi. Kei tēnei tuhinga ētahi mōhiotanga tino hāngai ki ngā ara whai pitomata mō te whakawhanake i te kāhui kaimahi tapuhi ā-takiwā Māori mā te anga nui ki ngā kaimahi, me te tuku i a rātou kia mahi he tapuhi ā-rārangi i roto i ngā hapori e noho nei, e mahi nei, e tākaro nei rātou. Ngā kupu matua: hoahoa-tahi, tapuhi ā-rārangi, kaupapa Māori, akoranga tapuhi; taurimatanga hauora taketake; whakapakari kāhui kaimahi